Leonard stars as Clippers hold off Doncic

DALLAS (Texas) • Kawhi Leonard won his duel with Luka Doncic and admitted that the Los Angeles Clippers had to focus on slowing down the red-hot Slovenian forward in their 110-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

The Clippers clinched their fourth straight National Basketball Association win on Tuesday night in Dallas, as they improved to 31-13 to sit second behind the Lakers in the Western Conference.

Leonard, the NBA Finals' Most Valuable Player with champions Toronto Raptors last season, said that the Clippers' defensive effort against Doncic, 20, was a crucial part of their game plan.

"Obviously it starts with Luka," the forward, who led his team with 36 points and 11 rebounds, said of last season's Rookie of the Year. "He's been playing amazing, getting everyone involved, getting to his spots, making shots and we just wanted to make it hard for him.

"We just kept pushing. That's pretty much the key. Any time you play a great player, it's always fun.

"It pushes you to play harder or just be locked in the whole game. I just wanted to win. Luka playing or not, I wanted to win the game."

Doncic also had a team-high 36 points, along with 10 rebounds and nine assists, as the Mavericks dropped to 27-16 and remained in fifth in the West.

He has scored at least 25 points in his last 11 games and is averaging 29.1 per game, the fourth-best in the league behind James Harden (36.9), Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.0) and Trae Young (29.2).

The Clippers appeared to have control of the contest after opening up an 11-point lead at half-time, 60-49. But the Mavericks rallied strongly in the fourth quarter, clawing their way back level from 90-82 down with nine minutes left.

A pair of Doncic free throws gave the Mavericks their first lead of the second half with 5min 43sec remaining, but Leonard took control down the stretch to close out the win for the Clippers.

The only sour note for the Clippers was an apparent groin injury to Patrick Beverley which forced him off the court at half-time.

In his absence, Lou Williams came off the bench to deliver a crucial 16 points while Landry Shamet finished with 18 points. Montrezl Harrell also added a double-digit contribution with 12 points.

"We're starting to feel good, we're starting to understand the best ways to play with each other," said Williams. "We're happy with the progress we're making and we're starting to turn a corner. We're getting there."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE